New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-12-08
LITERARY NOTES.

Mrs Margaret Dcland, the author OF the DOCK Oh
seos entitled The Old Garden is about to publish
her first novel IL will be brought out by Hough'oh
Amin e. Co.. under the title of John Ward
Preacher
oueer nttle paragraph In Miss Alcxanders
Cb,st's Folk in the Apennine' Is quoted as an Illus
,ra,ion Of the interest Of the American public in
English men of letters. She IS speaking OF richo
from Illinois, who is "a very dcvout" Ruskinian, and
she adds q She tells me that his influence for good
in tho wild wost country OF America Is immense.
When i'll two years ago, in every little country
town Of Illinois land She thought also I'm the other
States) the feeling great and universal that
placards were posted the wall twice day telling
of his condition; and when she was in Scotland last
year. and he i'll again. she seemed quite scandal
lied that there were no pacards and she had to walt
for the newspapers" On what wall hung those
placardsl
Mr. Ruskin in the last chapter of Pr @tcrita" calls
the late Dr. John Brown, Of Edinburgh the au'hor
Of that pathetic SKETCH Rab and his friends the
"best and truest friend of all my lifc." Many men
and women say this the big, sympathetic heart
and loyal nature Of DR.. john brought comfort anu
delight wherever II went.
The December issues IN Tcknor's paper series OF
original copyright novels are Joel Chandler harrS
"Mingo: and other skctchcs,1 and Maurice Thomp
sons Tallahassee Girl
Mr. Frith's "Reminiscences and Mr.. Howclls's
April Hopes will be published this week by tho
Harpers.
A correspondent of " The Boston Transcript" says:
Literary Notes OF Harpcr's for December, In an
article on Uowells's April Hopes contains the fol
lowing: His Boston matron, who pronounced can
as IL IS spelled, and can't" 1t isn't, ought 10 DC
made as conscious Of her peculiarities or
speech as his young woman from New York, who IS
guilty of tho Ncw-Yawk lquefaction of the canine
lettcrn' If either Mr.. HOwclls or Mr. Hutton VIII
turn to the word can't I'm Websters UnaOrldeea
Dictionary he will find there the following quOtatioh
from no less an authority than Smars English dc
tionary Tho a in can't and shan't IS broad (has
ifs Italian sound in consequence Of frightening the
vowel to compensate for the omitted sounds Let
tho Boston maron therefore, take heart OF grace
with the that, occasionally at least she IS
speaking by the book even though she De not
always able to prove that she is guided as In the
present instance by of the most elementary rules
of phlology."
w. C. Harris. Editor of " The American Angler
who has for five years been engaged in the prepare
tion of work on The Fishes Of North America is
about to bring out the first of the proposed forty
monthly parts Of this collection Each NUMBER VIII
contain the colorcd portraits Of two fishes taken at
the moment of capture by the artist who has accom-
panied the author on his expeditions The plates
alone will, 1t is supposed, cost Sloooo ana Naiu-
able work may be looked for.
AT the last meeting of the French Academy, Francis
Parkman was the subject Of various complimentary
remarks in an address devoted to his achievements
by NJ GclIrOy, the historian
Miss skerrctt who used TO be Queen Victora's pr
yatc secretary, lately died at the age OF nineyhVe
wears She was an accomplished lnguist and a stu
dent so indefag gable that at the time OF her dcath
She was studying Icclandc be able better to under
stand the Sagas.
Joseph Thomson, il IS said, has utilized his African
experiences in a Forthcoming novel
One Of the neatest Of the seasons calendars Is that
which, amid lis decoration Of gold feurdc-liS, bears
tho legend: "Calcndricr Francois" 1t has been
brought out 10y Roberts Brothers.